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To put the world in order, we must first put the nation in order; to put the nation in order, we must put the family in order; to put the family in order, we must cultivate our personal life; and to cultivate our personal life, we must first set our hearts right.

Talk about trimming the fat. This is ridiculous, You know, when I don't do my job right I don't get a raise from my boss.. Same thing should apples to them, If they don't solve the problems to put America back on track, then they don't need raises. The job was never finished why should you get paid then get paid more. I know a lot of people who are unemployed looking for work. I know a lot of people who have taken pay cuts to try and feed there family. There are to many people suffering out there, and our politicians think they need more money to solve there own problems that they created? Our politicians act like children fighting against each other instead of working together to fix our system. Day after day they have been embarrassing our country in front of the world. No wonder the rest of the world does not have any respect for us. This whole picture is wrong.

Members of Congress, raise from 174k to 174.9k, a cool 0.5% increase. Doubt they will even notice the extra $900.

On a related topic, at work we have been without a contact for almost a year. The company just does not seem to take things seriously and they are trying to get as much canceled/reduced as they can. You get the feeling they are not bargaining in good faith when they put an offer on the table, the union says we will take it, and then they say they changed their mind and want to make further cuts.

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. —Mark Twain

Members of Congress, raise from 174k to 174.9k, a cool 0.5% increase. Doubt they will even notice the extra $900.

On a related topic, at work we have been without a contact for almost a year. The company just does not seem to take things seriously and they are trying to get as much canceled/reduced as they can. You get the feeling they are not bargaining in good faith when they put an offer on the table, the union says we will take it, and then they say they changed their mind and want to make further cuts.

The amount isn't at issue, printer.

The principle of the matter is.

As has been mentioned, if I didn't do my job properly, I wouldn't get a raise.

Congress hasn't submitted a budget in many years. That is a big part of their job.

As has been mentioned, if I didn't do my job properly, I wouldn't get a raise.

Congress hasn't submitted a budget in many years. That is a big part of their job.

They don't deserve a raise, cost of living or not.

Can't ague with you there. Actually I was more implying why would they bother with the increase when it is a drop in the bucket to them and it just makes them look bad. Mind you given the type that gets into politics, they probably do not see it that way.

Never argue with a fool, onlookers may not be able to tell the difference. —Mark Twain

Can't ague with you there. Actually I was more implying why would they bother with the increase when it is a drop in the bucket to them and it just makes them look bad. Mind you given the type that gets into politics, they probably do not see it that way.

The expanded side of this raise not seen or known about by the average working public is the Federal retirement for all federal workers is based on "the top three" years of salary.

So a minor $900 per year raise shows up greatly over the long term in the years that that employee is in retirement. Now, on top of that many federal employees in the US "double dib" meaning they can work in a federal office for as little as 20 years, retire and collect retirement based on their previous wages and still go get another federal job which will allow them to get another federal retirement check for many years. I have friends who have done that and have retired in their 50's with two retirement checks coming in.

Plus, once retired they have the inside track to various state, local and federal jobs and can be rehired as a contractor to do their exact same job. That is a typical situation in school systems.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's own money.
- Alexis﻿ de Toqueville, 1835

It's not logic. It's control. They have total control over themselves, regulated themselves, etc so they just don't care.

All Federal workers are union. They have their own union that doesn't look like a union on purpose. They nogotiate on both side of one table for raises and benefits. No one watches over them except themselves.

Not once since WWII has any Federal Government worker ever had to sacrifice anything regarding lost of benefits, job security or pay.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's own money.
- Alexis﻿ de Toqueville, 1835

No way. My service buddies daughter works for the Dept of Justice starting almost twice that amount. The newest of the newest in the DC area start at about $45,000 and quickly rise through the step grades.

I have many kids I grew up with that were making more than that 15 to 20 years ago and are now retiring with around that just in retirement.

And that does not count the benefits. One other service buddy go a new pair of steel toed shoes for himself every year. He has a closet full. He took all the techincal courses he could just to get out of town. Some of these course I told him about and could not take but on my dollar he took them with all expenses paid..but us.

Federal employees get full eye care, full dental, full hospitalization with a minor payment from their pay check. They also get discounts all over the place if they show their Federal Employee card. You and I can't get this discount.

One lady I know flys to "seminars" for a week and takes cruises on the weekends before the seminar starts. All the expenses are paid except for the cruise itself. She took her two daughters back to DC for a week seminar and got a room on Capitol Hill with two beds for her daughters for the week. She never paid one cent for anything because she got to keep the travel miles while on Fed Travel to herself so she uses them for vacations and taking her daughters with her when she can.

They also accumulate, I believe, one sick day a month and can accumulate them or cash them out at retirement.

I have one friend, now retired in Florida the worked for one division for 20 years and retired. Moved to the next Federal building, worked 20 years and retired, moved to Florida and worked for a school district and retired about 4 years ago. He now has three different retirement checks coming in and still has a lot of benefits that you and I can't get.

BTW, I don't hold this against any of them. The system was there and is there to take advantage of and they have like all of us most likely would. But they are completely exempt from the real world that we are dealing with.

When did obama say on the last round of increasing our debt that the thousands and thousands of Federal Workers across this country would also sacrifice some of their time and money as he state that the military and social security receives would? I sure didn't hear it.

"The American Republic will endure until the day Congress discovers it can bribe the public with the public's own money.
- Alexis﻿ de Toqueville, 1835